One of the most persistent and troublesome problems arising during modern fabric laundering operations is the tendency of some colored fabrics to release dye into the laundering solutions. The dye is then transferred onto other fabrics being washed therewith. Another problem is the undesired removal of dyes, causing the premature fading of the fabric, thereby reducing the fabric aesthetic qualities.
One way of overcoming the first problem would be to complex or adsorb the fugitive dyes washed out of dyed fabrics before they have the opportunity to become attached to other articles in the wash. This is termed anti-dye transfer. A solution to the second problem would be to minimize or prevent the desorption of dyes from the fabric during the laundering process. This is termed color protection.
Polymers have been used in detergent compositions to inhibit dye transfer. One type of such polymers are N-vinylimidazole homo- and copolymers. Examples of said polymers are described in DE 2 814 287-A which describes detergent compositions containing N-vinyl imidazole homo- or copolymer in combination with anionic and/or nonionic surfactants and other detergent ingredients. EP 372 291 describes a process for washing discoloration-sensitive textiles. The wash liquor contains anionic/nonionic surfactants and water soluble polymers, for example, copolymers N-vinylimidazole, N-vinyloxazolidone or N-vinylpyrrolidone. EP 327 927 describes a granular detergent additive comprising water-soluble polymeric compounds based on N-vinylpyrrolidone and/or N-vinylimidazole and/or N-vinyloxazolidone and cationic compounds. DE 4 027 832-A describes electrolyte-free liquid detergent compositions comprising zeolite A, nonionic surfactants and dye transfer inhibiting polymers. The dye transfer inhibiting polymers are homo- and copolymers selected from N-vinylpyrrolidone and/or N-vinylimidazole and/or N-vinyloxazolidone.
Biguanidine polymers have been successfully employed in a variety of applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,385 describes biguanidine polymers containing a multiplicity of biguanide groups for use as a germicide or antimicrobial. U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,200 describes corrosion inhibitors formed by reacting guanidine-type compounds with polyamines.
To one skilled in the art it is known that the overall cleaning performance of detergent compositions formulated with color protection polymers is adversely impacted with respect to stain removal and soil redeposition. Therefore, it would be advantageous to develop a polymer which provides anti-dye transfer and color protection properties to detergent formulations without adversely affecting the overall detergent performance.